The Santa Cruz Mountains AVA is an American Viticultural Area centered on the Santa Cruz Mountains. It includes three counties in California: Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and San Mateo. Recognized as an AVA in 1981, the Santa Cruz Mountains Appellation was among the first to be defined by its mountain topography. Based on elevation, it largely follows the fog line along the coast, extending down to 800 feet (240 m) in the east (San Francisco Bay side) and 400 feet (120 m) in the west (Monterey Bay side), and encompasses the highest ridgetops at 3000+ elevation.[2]

The mountain terrain, the Pacific Ocean, and the nearby San Francisco Bay have wide ranging effects on the appellation, creating myriad microclimates in the region - depending on the elevation of the land, on which side of the mountains are the vineyards, the effects of fog, sun exposure, soil type, etc.

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The region is bounded by the Santa Cruz Mountain range, from Half Moon Bay and Woodside in the north, to Mount Madonna and Watsonville in the south. The appellation encompasses some 322,000 acres (1,300 km2) extending through Santa Cruz, Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.[3]

Some of the oldest wineries in California are in this region. Two wineries from the Santa Cruz Mountain region participated in the 1976 Judgment of Pariswine tasting with the 1973 David Bruce Winery Chardonnay placing 10th in the white wine tasting and the 1971 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon placing 5th in the red wine tasting.[5]